For centuries, cultures around the world have practiced ritual blood offerings and death by sacrifice. In ancient Mesoamerica, these practices were considered essential to rebirth, renewal and the cycling of the world. A number of ancient murals, notably the spectacular paintings of Cacaxtla, Mexico, depict individuals engaged in offering blood. The paintings document the importance and antiquity of the practice and illustrate its role in a process of sacrifice, death and rebirth that lies at the heart of the Mesoamerican worldview.

Maria Teresa Uriarte is head of the Cultural Affairs department of the Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México (UNAM) and director of the project “La pintura mural Prehispánica.” She is the author of over forty publications and co-editor of Olmeca: balance y perspectivas and Pre-Columbian Architecture in Mesoamerica.